Workstation Ergonomics

Workstations ergonomics are usually overlooked by a lot of computer users. Even those that do purchase themselves ergonomic devices such as keyboards and mice do not usually fully understand ergonomics, and how the different aspects of your workstation contribute towards computer related RSI.

Ergonomics, in a computing sense, is the process of using your computer in as natural position as possible. Workstation ergonomics, while the same thing is more a look at your workstation and how it can be arranged to improve the way you use the computer.

This article hopes to point out some common flaws and hopefully will help educate some people in this area.

Chair:

A good chair is a must for people who use the computer for long periods of time. Above all, a good chair will promote the correct seating position and ensure your body is in good posture.

When looking for a chair, you generally want one that is adjustable (seat pan, height, tilt, etc.), has lumbar support and preferably one doesn’t have arm rests.

An adjustable seat will allow you to adjust the height and seat pan (or depth) to suit your requirements. You should aim to rest your feet flat on the floor when using a computer, so being able to adjust the height of the chair will be helpful.

The lumbar support will help to keep you sat upright and hopefully help to keep your spine in its natural S shape. In all honesty I don’t find the lumbar support on my chair very helpful, I usually stick a small pillow at the bottom of my back to give extra support.

As for the arm rests, the reason you don’t want these is because resting your arms on the rests while working can put pressure on nerves and tendons. Also, by using a chair without arm rests, you will be forced to rest your hands on your lap, which is where they should be when you’re not typing.

However, if your chair does have arm rests, don’t worry, just try to avoid using them or if you can, remove them from the chair.

As I have previously mentioned, when sitting in the chair you should have your feet flat on the floor, and if possible the keyboard shelf should be about 1 inch above your knees. You may need to adjust your chair to meet these requirements. If you find your feet don’t reach the floor, use a few books, a pillow, or even better, a foot stand!

Most of all, remember to keep you back straight when sitting in your chair, slouching forward is the usual position for computer users, this itself, can be the cause of many computer related RSI problems.

Desk

There’s only really one requirement for the desk, and that is that it should have a keyboard tray. The keyboard tray allows keyboard to be lower down, which in turn allows them to be reached more easily and with a less strain to the arms.

Ideally, your hands should rest nicely above the keyboard when you’re in your natural seating position - if you have to reach for the keyboard in any way then you’re putting unnecessary strain on your body.

Likewise, the mouse should also be placed on the keyboard tray. However, from my experience there is never enough room to do this, so if this is the case, then you should consider replacing your existing tray with a new, DIY one like I did J

Monitor

The position of the monitor plays a surprising vital role in workstation ergonomics. The things you should be aware of in regards to the monitor are: screen resolution and distance.

As a general rule, a higher screen resolution will require you to have the monitor closer, whereas a lower resolution could allow you to have the monitor further away.

A good way to test this is to actively evaluate yourself; do you tend to learn towards the monitor to see things better? If the answer is yes, then you should either decrease your screen resolution to make things bigger or move the monitor closer to you.

It’s very important to try to reduce the amount you lean towards the monitor. This leaning is what forces you to change your natural posture.

As a side note, you should shift you focus every 10-15 minutes, for example, pick a spot that is quite far from the monitor and focus your eyes there. This helps keep your eyes healthy because you are shifting your focus from short to long and vice versa.

Input Devices

Ergonomic keyboards and mice are (as statistics suggest) questionably worth bothering with. I personally use an ergonomic keyboard. I also have a trackball and mouse plugged into my computer so that I can swap. The trackball is great for programming, but I need the precision of a mouse sometimes, for example, if I need to use Photoshop.

Unfortunately their just isn’t enough evidence for or against the use of ergonomic IO devices. So this is purely down to you. Have a read about, see what other people say and then make a decision. If you’re lucky, you will be able to find somewhere that allows you to trial the products first before buying, a lot of ergonomic equipment can be quite expensive, so trialling this can be very useful.

From my personal experience I would just get a keyboard and mouse that you are comfortable. Using the computer responsibly is agreed upon as a good prevention for RSI, this means taking short, regular breaks while using the computer – good news for smokers.

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped educate some people about workstation ergonomics. For me, the hardest part is forcing yourself to change your natural posture, I still quite regularly slouch, although I also correct myself a lot more than I used to. Improving the way you use the computer is a long tedious road, but is one that should be considered for people suffering from computer related RSI.